Xanax High School
by Dixie Dewdrop
Summary: Team Gibbs infiltrates a high school to carry out an investigation. This is part of my Here and Now scenario.
1. Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Six thirty in the morning both did and did not bring out the best in his team, Jethro Gibbs decided, watching as they individually made their ways towards him.

Sipping from the takeout container of coffee he held, the NCIS agent leaned against the driver's side of his car, feet crossed at the ankles as he surveyed the team's approach. He regarded his worn work boots as he waited.

Tim reached him first, and immediately launched into an uninvited explanation of his commute, his voice apologetic and unsure. "Boss, I would have made it fifteen minutes earlier, but I thought since I will have to teach, I should show up to the job with a briefcase."

Sure enough, he pointed at the brown leather satchel dangling from his left hand.

Gibbs pursed his lips, and McGee took that as a signal to continue. "Also, Boss, I started thinking that I should refresh myself on some of the current teen vernacular, so I did a google search…."

"Not another word," Gibbs ordered, taking an additional swallow of his coffee.

Though a bit hurt that he could not share more of his morning's preparation, Tim nevertheless fell silent.

His boss took that opportunity to scrutinize him. Of the three, Tim's ability to pull off his role today did concern Gibbs. Dressed in a starched white button down shirt and black dress pants, Tim had added a pinstripe tie and black blazer to complete his ensemble. With his light brown hair still wet from his shower, he resembled the manager of a bookstore, Jethro decided.

Abby reached him next, and her exuberance practically radiated from her. Dressed in a modest black dress and flat shoes, she had foregone her usual pigtails and let her dark hair fall freely to her shoulders for the day.

Twirling like a runway model, she grinned, "Well, will I do?"

Motioning the scientist to him, Jethro kissed her cheek and reassured her. "Oh yeah, you will most definitely will do, Abbs."

"Watch out!" cautioned Tony, the last to approach. Half running, the senior field agent had brought a football which he tossed from one of his outstretched hands to the other as he jogged. Grinning, he feinted running into Gibbs, then swivelled at the last second to fall dramatically against the car and yell, "Touchdown!"

Gibbs grinned at the unbridled exhuberance. Tony's theatrical flair could appear at a moment's notice, and coupling it with his innate physical prowess always provided entertainment.

Examining the younger man's clothing, he nodded his approval. Tony had chosen khaki slacks and a jade green semi- turtleneck pullover.

He would do.

Gibbs set the coffee onto the roof of the car and the group instantly fell into formation in front of him. He felt a twinge of pride that he had taught them to anticipate. This morning they did it well, faces sober and expectant.

"Okay, you three, get in there and get to work. Remember that no one besides some of the school's administration knows you are actually enforcement."

Turning to McGee, he added, "Tim, come back to the house with Tony and Abby this afternoon and give me your sit rep."

Tim nodded seriously at the invitation, and Abby clapped her hands together. "You can join us for supper, Timmy, and we can be a little family."

At that, his expression reflected his doubt. He licked his lips nervously.

"There is one condition, though. You can follow us home for the evening meal, McMoocher, if you make it the whole entire day with the pack of teen aged hounds set to hunt you," Tony teased, raising his eyebrows.

"Stop scaring him, Tony," ordered Gibbs. Then, pointing towards John Tyler High School, he directed, "Remember, we want to wrap up this investigation within the week. Get straight to work when you get to the school."

Not waiting for them to comply, Jethro Gibbs yanked open the driver's door and got back into his car, cranked, and then headed to NCIS.

This operation, a covert one, had come about when suspicions arose that the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) department at the high school currently ran a hefty drug business along with the standard drills and maneuvers. Jethro Gibbs, a retired Marine, considered that an unforgivable, personal breach of military ethics and public trust which he planned to remedy.

Thus, NCIS had decided to infiltrate the school in the guise of substitute teachers, and the John Tyler administrators approved the plan, and swiftly made arrangements for the substitutes to replace three regular teachers for a few days.

Abby danced around her lab when informed that she would take over a chemistry position. Tony proved just as enthusiastic about his role as performing arts teacher and part time football coach.

Tim, however, approached his job- that of a technology teacher- with more than a little fear. The past few days had found him worrying over the curriculum, the students, and the current state of the school's technology.

Because of the intelligence shared from the school itself with the agency, Gibbs decided that the team would focus on upper level students, rather than upon freshmen or sophomores.

By the time the morning bell rang at the school that morning, all three agents stood on duty by the doors of their classrooms. None of the school's teachers knew about the ruse, though the administration had coordinated the operation. So when the teachers and students noticed the substitutes, they expressed curiosity about the real teachers, which the stand ins satisfied with the agreed upon, rehearsed, fictitious stories.

In truth, the three they replaced had been ordered to keep low profiles. They had learned something about the operation, but not all.

The three NCIS agents had classrooms on different halls of the school, a deliberate move made to maximize their encounters with both faculty and students. Unfortunately, since the three followed school schedules, checking in with NCIS and their boss would not prove realistic during the schoolday's hours.

Comparing notes would take place in the evenings.

So by the time the three showed up at the House of Gibbs several long hours later, their leader impatiently waited their sit reps. Until he could process what they had found, he could not plot his next plan of action towards the ROTC.

The front door opening and not closing alerted Jethro that the pseudo educators had returned. Lowering the heat under the pot of bubbling chili on the stove he went out to meet them.

Tony fell against the sofa as Jethro approached, sinking into the cushions with a dramatic sigh and closing his eyes. Nevertheless he murmured graciously, "Uh, something smells delectable, Boss. What did you make us to eat?"

Gibbs glanced from Tony to Abby, who had kicked off her shoes and curled in the chair facing the entry. "Wow, I think I can put a new definition to exhaustion. Can we eat in the living room just this one time?"

Before he could respond Tim spoke from where he stood in the doorway. "We earned our paychecks today, Boss."

Shaking his head sympathetically Gibbs nevertheless demanded, "Who left the front door open?"

"Not I," Tony immediately responded, tilting sideways so that he could prop his head on the sofa arm. "Baby Girl probably did. You know how she acts like she was raised in a barn some days."

Abby scowled but did not respond to the taunt. Instead she pointed to McGee, "Timmy, how about shutting the door since you appear to be the only one not sitting?"

Tim nodded eagerly and hurriedly returned after completing his mission.

Gibbs regarded all three and spoke firmly. "Ok, everyone go wash up and get to the kitchen. We need to eat, and you need to fill me in on your activities. The assistant principal stopped by about half an hour ago and we made a decision that it will behoove us to make a couple of adjustments to the plan."

He turned to leave the room and McGee quickened his step to follow behind him. "Did we do something wrong, Boss? Did we mess up?"

"McGuilty may have some suspicion that he mishandled his role, but I performed superbly," Tony announced, easing up from the sofa and then stretching lazily.

"Let's eat, and then find out the details," Abby contributed, smiling at Tim. "Go ahead and use the restroom to clean up so that we can have turns, too."

Tim hastened upstairs to the bathroom, and within ten minutes all four agents sat in front of steaming bowls of chili and crusty Italian bread, sharing their high school operations.

Abby had already pinpointed a possible mule amongst her students, a young man who appeared as a veritable Pied Piper around his classmates and could certainly serve as a drug middleman.

Two students activated Tony's spidey sense, one male and one female, and he described both to his dinner companions. Though in separate classes, he had honed in on them because of their frequent requests to leave the room for one thing or another, and added that they had spent most of their class time monitoring who passed the corridor door.

Tim shook his head sheepishly and wiped his mouth before coughing softly. "Uhm, well, I had my hands full all day and found it pretty difficult to conduct as much surveillance or investigation as I wanted."

"Timmy," Abby scolded. "Our mission was to make an inroad into the school drug trade. What in the world did you do instead of what you were supposed to do?"

Quickly assessing his partner's demeanor, Tony spoke sharply in Tim's defense, "Leave him alone. He got in there and no one ratted him out."

"I just do not understand…" the Goth continued.

Gibbs interrupted, "All right, let me update you on what the vice principal shared this afternoon when she visited."

Pushing his chili bowl to the side, he wrapped both hands around his coffee cup. "The drug of choice at the school is Xanax, a prescription medication that targets anxiety and panic because it sedates. However, doctors prescribe it sparingly because of its very high addiction rate."

"Wow," Tim whistled. "Then business will boom at John Tyler. Selling it to the kids and then getting them addicted means a steady stream of revenue for the dealers."

"Those teens will gravitate towards it because of the mood altering effect," Tony rubbed his temples, then rested his elbows on the table and steepled his hands.

Jethro confirmed, "Correct, so the quicker NCIS makes the bust, the better. Our duty is to those kids."


	2. Cure

Cure

Abby stood up and grabbed several dishes, then began carrying the load to the sink. Suddenly she stopped and scowled irritably, "Wait a minute! It's not my turn to do the dishes."

Tony laughed out loud at the mix up. "Good job, Baby Girl! You just made my evening chore a little lighter."

He sauntered up lazily and rounded the table, then reached for more dishes.

In response, Abby made a face at him and flounced back to her chair.

Gibbs sipped from his cup. "The administration plans to cooperate any way that it can and believe me, they support us. They have a few suggestions for us, though, pointers from experienced educators."

"Like what, Boss?" Tim questioned nervously.

Turning to Abby, Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "I need you and Tony to mislead the students into thinking you are a couple. That way you will not have to deal with students developing crushes on either of you. You will have one less worry."

"Inappropriate behavior," Tony nodded, then regarded his boss sheepishly. "Boss, those girls are relentless- wannabe Lolitas disguised as schoolgirls."

"I know, and the administration reiterated that you handled the girls well, but this should help nip any more teenaged attraction and unwanted attention in the bud."

"It is hard, Gibbs, when you have a teen coming on to you. I want to avoid my rejections scarring them for life," Abby confided. "After all, they are just kids."

Jethro leaned over and patted her arm gently. "This plan will work, and it packs a wallop. The flip side is that you and Tony have a chance to confer during the day, which everyone will assume is just couple talk. It will give you some freedom."

Tony began loading dishes in the dishwasher with both hands, intent upon completing the job at hand.

Tim, regarding his Boss with trepidation, stood up and finished clearing the table.

Gibbs smiled reassuringly. "You have to toughen, Tim. Those students will eat you alive if you appear unsure."

"Take the bull by the horns," Tony advised as he began to rinse the dishes Tim had set by the sink. "Do not let them sense weakness."

Tim nodded rapidly, desperate for the confidence boosters. "Well, what do you suggest then?"

Abby jumped up and embraced him. Pushing back, she held him at arms' length. "Oh, Timmy, my gentle, gentle man! Allow me to escort you through the minds of a class of high school know it alls."

Gibbs drummed his fingers on the table. "Tim, do you remember when you handled those prisoners?"

"Which would those prisoners be, Boss?" Tim stammered.

Tony slid in the dishwasher rack and shut the appliance's door, then consulted the controls. Squinting, he pushed several buttons before straightening to grin at McGee. Winking, he elaborated. "He means when you waltzed into that prison of homicidal, maniacal females and turned their world upside down, McWarden! Those women cowered under your watch, and by the time you finished visiting their lair, you had cleaned up the prisoners and their guards, and left an indelible mark on that penitentiary."

McGee blushed at the memory, but grinned slowly. What Tony relayed had happened, though not quite to that extent.

He had gone in and accomplished the mission, though.

"See, Timmy? You have the tough guy skills right inside you," Abby encouraged.

"She's right, McGee. They are both correct. Figure out tonight how to get in there tomorrow and maintain control of your classes. Without that management the administration or other teachers will have to intervene, which will sabotage your covert op." Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose, nodded at Tim, and headed downstairs to the basement.

The three substitutes retired to the living room and spent the next hour discussing the qualities of a successful teacher combined with the skills of a good agent. Abby and Tony made their friend rehearse reactions to a variety of made up scenarios they thought might possibly arise in his classroom.

By the time Gibbs left the basement and returned to the upper floor two hours after he had left, only a lamp in the living room lit the downstairs.

That surprised him.

Peering around the area, he concluded that Tim had evidently gone home. Checking further, Gibbs saw no sign of the agent's car when he peeped out the front door.

Upstairs looked dark, too.

Making his way up the steps he could not help smirking that the three younger ones had been so wiped out.

He approached his senior field agent's room first and softly opened the door.

Tony had thrown himself on his bed, but had fallen asleep before he slid himself under the comforter.

Shaking his head, Gibbs covered him with an afghan from the linen closet and clicked off the bedside lamp.

In the next room he discovered that Abby had burrowed under her covers fully dressed, apparently too exhausted to change into her nightgown. Kissing her softly on the forehead, he placed her stuffed hippo, Bert, on the edge of her ruffled pillow sham and quietly left the room.

Back in the hall Gibbs shook his head and processed the day's aftermath. It took a formidable force to stop Tony and Abby in their tracks, and evidently, high school students held that power.

That type of information was good to know.

Jethro Gibbs had long thought that teachers deserved the paychecks of professional athletes. The fact that one sole day of substitute teaching had wiped out his two when a day on the job at NCIS could not, proved to him that educators practiced their craft in a dedicated, but exhausting career.

Smiling to himself, Gibbs jogged back downstairs to continue his ministrations to his boat.

A solid week passed after that initiation into teaching while Tony, Tim, and Abby chipped away at the underground drug movement at Xanax High, the name with which the agents had privately christened John Tyler.

Tim's classroom management had evolved to include a tenuous grasp of discipline, but the others kept him afloat.

United in their mission, they made astounding progress in their covert roles.

However, their physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion only abated imperceptibly, and the events of the first night set the tone for the ones that followed. The trio barely made it through dinner before Tim excused himself for home and for his own sleep and Tony and Abby wearily headed to their own beds.

All three paid verbal homage to the exhausting workdays put in by real teachers, realizing as they did that as substitutes, they had not even tackled a full plate of duties that real, certified teachers confronted.

Their Boss did privately sympathize with their fatigue, but demanded that their agency work ethic continue despite their pleas of tiredness.

Working with the information they reported, Gibbs sorted, collated, and reviewed the facts and findings each night after they returned from Xanax High, and he returned from NCIS. The inroads led straight to the ROTC department, all right, but still not enough intel had been procured to close the case.

Pointing out to his team the gaps which existed in the evidence, he ordered them to work harder, and stalked out of the room with the threat of unknown consequences hovering in the air should they fail.

Three days later Tim snagged the crucial piece of information needed to legally place blame and take down the dealers and ringleaders. Because of his milquetoast demeanor and personality, combined with his so- so ability to control his classes, the students had tended to dismiss his presence and talk in front of him. From one of those exchanges within a group of students, Tim discovered the avenues used to distribute the drugs throughout the school.

As he shared with his boss, though the team had thought the deals went down in several classrooms, that presumption proved a misconception. Tim's intelligence work pinpointed the exchange areas as three water fountain niches near and within sight of the school's gymnasium, cafeteria, and library.

It took another two days of surveillance in the trio of suspicious areas to tape the proof and substantiate the players involved in the scheme.

In the end, the NCIS investigative web snared three area doctors, two ROTC instructors, one senior classman, three juniors, and one sophomore.

All faced serious charges.

Community outrage at the news dominated the local airwaves for several days, and the national networks awarded the story airtime, also.

Measures to prevent a recurrence followed quickly by the local school board governing John Tyler, and community agencies vamped up their anti drug messages and support. Parents of students at the school joined one another to create a formal pledge of solidarity, which they signed, and which promised prescription drugs would be locked up in private homes.

Sipping coffee alone one night a few days after the bust, Gibbs reviewed the changes that had transpired at the school because of his agency. He felt good about what his team had accomplished, and further felt that his three had slammed that particular op right out of the ball park.

The one negative upshot to the experience had surfaced once the students and faculty realized that Tony, Tim, and Abby would no longer work at the high school. Emails, cards, texts, and letters begging for the return of the substitute teachers deluged NCIS. Evidently, Tony, Tim, and Abby had managed to immerse themselves into the school's population so effectively that John Tyler claimed them as beloved alumni.

Gibbs smiled to himself and leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers behind his head.

The mission had not only brought down men who sullied the uniform of his beloved Marines, but had successfully snatched dangerous drugs away from innocent kids.

That made Gibbs feel good.

Then there was the icing on the cake for him, savoring those weeks of witnessing his three agents transform from Xanax High substitute teachers to John Tyler High's honorary educators.

That made Leroy Jethro Gibbs very proud.


End file.
